An Eagle's Tale of Draco
by The Perfect Spell
Summary: Elizabeth Arundel lived to provide companionship,just like the rest of her race.Her previous mistress died in a death eater attack,now she has found a new master to serve. Shapeshifter fic.
1. Prologue

**Summary: **Elizabeth Arundel was born to provide companionship, just like the rest of her race. Her previous mistress died in a death eater attack, now she has found a new master to serve – a death eater at that, and in her eagle form, would she be able to do what she was meant to do? Follow Draco through as he survives his fifth year, death eater meetings and Umbridge, though the eyes of an eagle. Draco/OC

**A/N: **for some unknown, random reason, I started imagining lots of weird povs the hp universe could be seen through – the dark lord's mum, the bloody baron, and animals. Of course, the choice was clear, no? Animals it is!

Nothing here in this story, save my OC and the plot, is mine. Unless JK Rowling decides to will all the copyrights to me when she dies or something.

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**An Eagle's Tale**

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**Prologue**

_Run, Liza! They have come! I'll join you after I get rid of them!_ She screamed in my head.

Then silence. But I could not run, I could not leave her behind.

I don't know what happened. It all happened so fast.

A bunch of hooded figures bursting in through the door, a shout of _Avada Kedavra_, a brilliant flash of green light, a searing pain ripping through my entire body, and it was over.

For my beloved mistress, at least. She was gone. A twenty year friendship, gone. As was my bond with her, gone. It was broken, never to come back.

I didn't know why they had wanted to kill her.

She was warm, and although very sarcastic, she had never ill treated me. Unlike others.

Maybe that was why I loved her so much. If I had a choice, I wouldn't have minded, no, I would have loved, to have her as a mother. I know she would have made an excellent one. But the choice was not mine to make.

Pity she did not have a husband, or children left behind so I could bond with them. He was killed during the first war by a stray spell fired by the Death Eaters. How ironic she would have to go in the same way.

On hindsight, maybe it was to be for the best. No one else would grieve her passing.

It was when I was called to my mistress that I happened to overhear her wishing upon a falling star for a companion. To talk to, to confide in, to trust.

Of course, I don't think that I was exactly what she was wishing for, but at the expense of sounding conceited, I would have to say I was quite a good one. (a close enough match maybe?) I hope.

As far as a talking black cat can go at least. No, not really talking, like literally talking. Cats don't have any vocal chords that I know of, but talking through telepathy.

It was actually quite fun to see her surprise when I showed up on her doorstep, unexpected. And I was all the more amused when she discovered I could communicate with her telepathically, after I acknowledged her as my mistress. Maybe she loved cats, but she took me in without a moment's hesitation.

I always found it ironic, that we – a witch and a black cat, were just like the tales told in a muggle fairy tale. All that was missing was the pointy witch hat, but that was kept safely in the cupboard. _Yuck_, she told me, _it does nothing for my hair, messing it up and all._

She told me later that she didn't regret that day when she adopted me one bit. It made my day, but with the threat of war looming, it was hard to stay so optimistic.

My mistress lived all alone, with the company of no one, save me, and brewed potions for a shop, the Apothecary, in Diagon Alley. The house, or what some people may refer to as a quaint little cottage, was located at the edges of a forest.

It was secluded, hardly anyone came to visit; further more, my mistress passed the completed potions to the Apothecary through the Floo network.

For a time, we lived together happily, believing rather naively that nothing can touch us here in our safe haven. Hence, she did not want take a side in the war, which made me all the more shocked when the death eaters burst in.

True, she wasn't rich, but she was pure blooded; true, she wasn't a Dark Lord supporter, but she wasn't supporting Dumbledore either, so why did they have to kill her?

I stayed in the shadows, out of sight, till they finished what they arrived to do.

The pain that ripped through me was mind numbing, starting as a tingling in the vicinity of my heart before intensifying into a full-blown heart-rending pain all through my body, right to my paws and the tip of my ears. It was not unlike having the Crutiatus curse placed on me for tens, if not more, of hours.

Although many masters and mistresses had come, and gone with the same mind numbing pain, I still was not used to it, nor did I like it one bit. But I am only glad they didn't torture her, or worse, rape her. I guess they were in a hurry.

After the death eaters had left, their mission accomplished, I snuck out warily, on the alert in case they came back.

I was free to change back to my human form after she died, but it was prudent to stay small and lie low (quite literally).

Plus, since we cats supposedly had nine lives, I figured it would not hurt to have a few more back-ups, just in case, so I remained a cat.

The mystery surrounding her death would just have to be solved at a later date. For now, I would have to go and take a look at the outside world, and catch up on all I have missed during the past twenty years.

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**Chapter 1 preview(:

_I changed my form to a bald eagle, taking to the sky once again after being bound to my cat form for twenty years. _

_The sensation of my bones stretching out and lengthening to thin, hollow ones, and that of my black fur changing to black feathers was one that was welcome to me. It was nice to know I haven't lost my touch, yet. _

_As I took to the air, I pondered on my next form. Maybe it was nice having flight at my disposal again – eagles were certainly my most favourite form. _

_But a change would also be nice. _

_A horse, a snake, a dog?_

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**A/N: **Confusing, yes I know, but you'll understand more when I post the next chapter! Please press the little box there in the corner and review(: 


	2. Of Eagles and Perfection

**A/N:** Nothing here in this story, save my OC and the plot, is mine. Unless JK Rowling decides to will all the copyrights to me when she dies or something.

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**Chapter One – Of Eagles and Perfection**

I changed my form to a bald eagle, taking to the sky once again after being bound to my cat form for twenty years.

The sensation of my bones stretching out and lengthening to thin, hollow ones, and that of my black fur changing to black feathers was a great welcome to me. It was nice to know I haven't lost my touch, yet.

As I took to the air, I pondered on my next form. Maybe it was nice having flight at my disposal again – eagles were certainly my favourite form, but a change would be nice too.

_A horse? a snake? a dog?_

The Elders used to preach that horses were the best, as in the past, they were the most common form of transport around, and the most useful.

However, my teacher had told me it was wise to be a bird – they were good for spying, getting out of difficult situations and so on. _You can fly away and no one would be able to catch you, my dear,_ my teacher used to tell me.

_Our race is being exterminated one by one. You'd better be careful. There's only a few of us Malis left, no thanks to that evil spell Merlin_ (she spat his name out, as did most Malis I knew of) _cast which left us all unable to bear children_.

But that was long ago.

My teacher passed on after the muggle she fell in love with (her master), died, and instead of being freed from the bond, she simply disappeared upon his death for she could not bear to face the rest of eternity without him -- the pain was too great to bear, too.

The note she left me had a single sentence on it – _Seal your heart from love_.

I swore to myself then, almost four hundred years ago, that I would.

Sure there were many temptations in the form of good looking men, but four masters and nine mistresses later, I'm proud to say I did.

So lost in my thoughts I was that I had arrived at my destination without realising it.

Diagon Alley was crowded. After years of living in near isolation, the crowds that thronged the streets were nigh unbearable.

I thanked my lucky stars I didn't decide to change back to a cat, for I could not imagine how terribly it would feel to be down there, in the midst of the crowd getting trampled. Why, I'd even wager a galleon that my tail would have been stepped on a zillion times, and I'd have been kicked out of the way the same number of times.

There was nothing of interest going on at the moment, save for the unusually large crowd. Stupid kids and their last minute back-to-school shopping. Pooh. What in the world was so fun about school?

Suddenly, an idea struck me. On hindsight, it probably wasn't very wise, but I, being not too wise, bird-brain and all, and impulsive, decided that it would be fun to go and pose as a pet in Magical Menagerie.

Besides, I did need a new master/mistress to bond to, no? And it would be fun too, my brain reasoned.

Swooping down from my vantage point on the roof of Gringotts where I had literally and figuratively a bird's eye view, I flew in through an open window and landed unnoticed (I hope) on an empty perch towards the back of Magical Menagerie which was probably vacated by its previous owner when he/she was bought.

The eagle owl sitting on the next perch turned and stared, its ear tufts bouncing slightly with the movement.

I stared back.

_Ha! _I thought, _I'm taller, bigger and better than you, shortie_. Well, it was true. Like my human form, I was of quite a small size as bald eagles went, but compared to the eagle owl next to me, I, who was around 88 cm tall and had a wingspan of approximately 2 meters wide, made my counterpart seem like a dwarf.

That is why you shouldn't breed with owls.

Maybe some nice school kid will think it's cool to bring an eagle to Hogwarts for shopping or something. Then yet another sudden thought hit me when I realised it was better to go to Hogwarts as a cat, owl, guinea pig, snake, anything other than a big fat eagle. (Scratch the fat, I'm so not a fat eagle, but it sounds nicer like that.)

But it was too late. Two witches, one of them rather plump, came out of the shop, armed with handling gloves.

They, like the eagle owl, stared at me.

"I don't remember a delivery for a bald eagle due today," the plump one remarked to her colleague, who shrugged her shoulders and muttered "Maybe the delivery date was pushed forward" under her breath.

Seeming to accept the answer, the plump witch held out her hand for me to step on. I did so, wondering where she would be bringing me.

My question was answered almost immediately, as both the witches brought the eagle owl (he came too) and I to the front of the store, where two empty perches waited.

It was much nosier in here, but the human traffic outside the window was much more interesting to watch and observe. I was pleased when some people who looked student-aged stopped to look in the window at me.

I crossed my fingers, I mean, talons that I did not get an evil, bullying git who ill treated his/her pets and the little ones at school. Even an eagle can hope, can't she?

It wasn't till the front door's bells jingled that I stopped musing and turned my head towards the front door (its quite amazing how much more eagles' heads can turn as compared to humans) to see if the one walking in would seem fitting for my master/mistress if they were planning to get an eagle.

Even if they were not, there was always my _charm, _since I was a pretty little bald eagle. Just kidding.

A flash of white caught my eye. And I almost fell off my perch, swooning. He was one of the most handsome men I've laid my eagle eyes upon. In my human form, I would have thrown myself into his arms.

However, there was nothing much an eagle could do. As much as I remembered my promise to my teacher, it wouldn't hurt to look.

Besides, I always have appreciated beauty. With his platinum-blond hair so light it was almost white, and cold, gray eyes that could bewitch anyone that crossed his path; he was indeed the male model of perfection.

However, I knew it would not be wise for me to choose him as my next master, for it would be quite hard to stop staring at him, thinking of him.

Even the two witches who brought me in were both gushing over him, asking a swarm of questions of his choice of animal and handing out recommendations on the various species their store stocked.

I suppose they must have been of no use, for Mr. Perfection called out in an imperious tone that suggested galleons. Lots and lots of galleons.

"Madame Mackay!" A third witch, a short and stout old lady– the owner of the shop, I presumed, came running out from the door that led to the back.

"Mister Malfoy, it's good to see you again," She said briskly, clearly not intimidated or affected by his good looks like her two assistants were. "What gives us the pleasure of your visit?"

They started conversing in a slightly lower tone, which rendered it impossible for me to follow their conversation for the shop was simply too noisy, with the various _loud_ animal sounds characteristic of a pet shop.

I turned my head back towards the street, willing myself not to get distracted.

There certainly was an improvement in fashion over the last twenty years, though it was not reflected well through my previous mistress's clothing. Instead of the plain earth colours – brown, green, black, more and more young witches and a quite a few wizards opted for the more vibrant colours of pink, purple, orange and bright red.

Speaking of red, a group of chattering redheads, and a girl with curly brown hair walked by the window, shepherded by yet another redhead – their mother, no prizes handed out for guessing correctly.

One in their group stopped to stare. I stared back. I was quite good at staring, I must say, with the practice with the eagle owl and all. Moments passed and neither of us moved. To my credit, I didn't even blink.

"Bloody hell, look at that eagle!" he managed to shout before his mother shooed him away, down the street, the group around him still chattering.

I must admit that I was so engrossed with my little 'staring contest' with the redhead that I failed to notice anyone approach me from behind, and was startled to feel a hand brush the top of my head. For the second time in slightly less than fifteen minutes, I almost fell off my perch again, this time from shock.

"I'll have this one," a cold voice behind me said. I turned my head around, and found myself staring into the eyes of Mr. Perfection.

"Very well, Mister Malfoy, you'll want a cage with your purchase, no?" I heard Madame Mackay asking.

A cage? They're going to put me in a _cage?_ In all my four hundred years, no one put me in a lowly _cage._ Pooh. No one puts me, Elizabeth Arundel, in a cage and gets away with it.

I prepared myself to put up a fight. But luckily for Mister Malfoy, he had the wisdom to say no to the offered cage and opt for a pair of dragonhide gloves instead, saving himself from a few painful eagle-talon inflicted wounds.

I watched as he dumped a black velvet bag on the counter of the Magical Menagerie, which no doubt contained many galleons.

I wondered how Madame Mackay came up with my price, seeing that I wasn't even in her shop twenty minutes ago.

Sheesh, money minded business owners.

Before I could acknowledge him as my new master by communicating telepathically with him, he stalked over to my perch, held out his hand and muttered _you'd better be worth that money, eagle. I am so _not_ buying another one for my son, again. You hear me? _

I almost fainted again, whether with disappointment from knowing I could not have Mr. Perfection aka Mister Malfoy as my master when I was another's "pet", or with relief from knowing that the source of temptation would be removed.

But one thing I was sure of, this new master of mine had promise to be interesting. Very, very _interesting._


	3. Of Dragons and Palaces

_**A/N: **Thanks to _**Airlady**_ and _**Sterling Fire Kittie**_ for the reviews(:_

_Nothing here in this story, save my OC and the plot, is mine. Unless JK Rowling decides to will all the copyrights to me when she dies or something._

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**Chapter Two – Of Dragons and Palaces**

Mister Malfoy walked or rather, strode with around Diagon Alley with the air of a king. The cane in his other hand helped to contribute to that too. All in all, he would have been majestic, if it wasn't for the bald eagle sitting on his hand glaring daggers at him.

You can't blame me for that. It's _his _fault that he jerks his arm around when he walks, not mine. Neither is it my fault that he bought those seriously uncomfortable dragon hide gloves that makes me squirm.

My talons so do _not_ hurt, I hope. With his hand still clutching the cane, he brought it up to smack my head lightly and hissed in my ear _Do NOT squirm. _If looks could kill, I would have been dead, and he would have been dead. As much as I would hate to admit it, we were both equally matched at glaring at each other.

So much for Mr. Perfection. He wasn't so nice after all. Finally, I, being a good eagle, broke off eye contact with him, stopped squirming, and settled my gaze on the streets of Diagon Alley.

My initial assumption of Diagon Alley being scarily claustrophobic was proven wrong as there was quite wrong when everyone gave Mister Malfoy a wide berth. No one seemed to want to stand in his path. Well, his cane was quite a scary weapon in its own right.

Soon, Mister Malfoy turned down a corner after passing Gringotts and I noticed the atmosphere change considerably from the bright and cheerful Diagon Alley to one that was ominous and had a dark sense of foreboding. The sign next to Gringotts was old and dusty, and I had to squint my eyes to see what they said.

Finally, I figured the words out under the grime, and was feeling proud of it. "Knockturn Alley", the sign read. Down the road ahead, there lied a dark, twisting alleyway. The change was rather palpable, and the place gave me the creeps.

I wondered if this would be where we were to be staying till the term started. Not for the first time, I regretted not turning into a smaller bird of prey or even a parrot so Mister Malfoy could ditch his dragon hide gloves and I could sit on his shoulder instead. Maybe I should try persuading him to give me a manicure for my talons, or something.

There was something not quite right about the Alley, and I unconsciously inched closer and closer to Mister Malfoy's elbow. If he sped up just a teensy bit, the torture would be over sooner.

Lost in my thoughts again, (I have a nasty habit of doing so) it barely registered in my head that Mister Malfoy was slowing his pace down, and we soon drew up outside Borgin & Burkes. It was a quite large, dusty, and dimly lit shop.

Displayed prominently in the shop's display window were several skulls that were as creepy as the rest of the alley combined. I wondered who those poor souls were, having their heads separated from the rest of their bodies. Maybe their souls missed their heads. I mean, it would be rather sad to be headless.

Pooh, enough ramblings, back to Mister Malfoy.

"Father, you got me this _thing?_" someone to the left of Mister Malfoy spat. 

I turned my head towards the source of the annoyed voice, and was met with Mr. Perfection-minus-thirty-years.

He reached out a hand and whacked the back of my head. It hurt so much I was seeing double of everything, including Mr. Perfection. No wait, there were _two_ Mr. Perfection's.

Somewhere far away, another distant voice, this time female, said, "Lucius, dear, Draco's right. Why did you get that... that _eagle? _Anyway I'll be looking at some _special _candles a few windows down."

I recovered from the dizzy spell induced by the younger version of Mr. Perfection.

Using my brilliant powers of deduction, I figured out that he was Lucius and the older one Draco. Just kidding, I was currently sitting on Mister Malfoy's – Lucius' arm, and Draco was the one who whacked my head. The owner of the faraway voice had to be Lucius' wife then, though I didn't catch her name. Was it even mentioned?

Since it was quite clear that Draco didn't really want me, (though I didn't mind him), I refrained from bonding with him, just in case I was given away to somebody else or something.

Come to think of it, that was quite insulting, if you took into account the fact that I've never been given away before – such was my brilliant, dazzling charm. Maybe I could poop on Draco's head or something, just to get revenge.

Fortunately for Draco, unfortunately for me (I was itching to do something other than sit around on a not-so-comfy dragon hide-clad arm), Lucius glared at him, and the not-as-good-as-glaring-back Draco stretched out his arm to let me settle on it.

And the entertainment I was so desperately wishing for came in another form that I did not expect.

Just think about it.

There was only one pair of dragon hide gloves. There were two people who let me sit on their arms. Lucius had the gloves, which made his arm itchy and scratchy. I stepped onto Draco's outstretched arm. I swear, by the Elders, that my talons do _not_ hurt!

The tables were turned, and this time it was Draco's turn to be unfortunate. A split second after I settled on his arm, he screamed in pain and started jerking his arm up and down, left and right, round and round.

It was almost like the funny mechanism that muggles had which I saw during the fly to Diagon Alley. Roller coaster, I think, was its name, the brightly lit sign had read.

So what do you do when you're flung everywhere in every single direction possible?

Hold on for dear life, thats what you do. I may be immortal, but that doesn't mean I take life for granted. I like living alot, thank you very much.

_Don't do that, you idiot!_ I screamed at him (in my mind, of course). _I'm diizzzzyyyy..._

As sudden as it began, the jerking stopped.

Draco stared at me.

I stared at him.

He stared at me.

"I am NOT an idiot," he informed me, his voice slightly muffled due to the fact that he was clenching his teeth together in pain.

Now wait a minute, did he just hear what I shouted in my head?

Though the bewildered look he gave me when it came to him that he was talking to an _eagle_ was priceless, I must add.

Muttering something to the effect of _Oh Merlin, help me, I'm going down the path of Loony Lovegood_, Draco started to shake his head vigorously, as if that would help him in any way.

Then realization dawned on me. _Ohh shit, did I just bond with him unconsciously? Noooooooooooooo..._

The tell-tale tug somewhere near the region of my heart confirmed what I suspected. Just as well, the uneasiness that came when about when I had no master would be gone, at least. Time to break the news to Draco, who, incidentally, was still staring at me like I was a talking eagle. Better get it done before the warmth (some think of it as pain) that accompanied the bonding started in full force.

"_Psst, hey you_," I whispered. Draco stared. "_Yeah, you."_

This time he was expecting it. He leaned in closer to me and whispered back "What. The. Heck? I'm really going loony. Did you just _talk_ to me?"

I put on the best innocent look any bald eagle would be proud of.

"_Who me?" _

It earned me a glare from Draco, who was anxiously awaiting an answer to confirm that he wasn't losing his sanity.

"_No, I didn't talk to you. Not exactly the way you define it. Hmm, you could put at under the category of 'the strange random voice in your head', I guess." _

I took at deep breath (although it wasn't really needed), and continued telling him telepathically, "O_nly you can hear me. To prove that its not you going crazy, I'm going to whack you" _

Okay, so that was an excuse just to whack him. But Draco seemed anxious enough, so he frantically nodded while keeping his eyes trained on me. On a side note, any human girl (and some guys too) would be dying from the amount of attention he gave.

In case you didn't know, it is rather difficult to reach out with only one wing, and keep your balance at the same time. However, with me being the best eagle there is, I managed to do it.

It was superbly satisfying to hit his pretty little head – after all, revenge is sweet, no matter how small the matter is.

His eyes grew to the size of a pair of saucers (if that was even possible), realizing that indeed I was telling the truth. Whether from relief from knowing he wasn't going crazy or from the horror of being stuck with a telepathically-talking eagle, I'll never know.

The whole exchange was over in a flash, but so much was conveyed in that few moments that somewhere inside me knew that it wouldn't be forgotten by either of us anytime soon. He opened his mouth to say something, but he was interrupted by his father, who did not notice Draco talking to himself or me.

"Stop dwadling there Draco, I've got _business_ to attend to tonight," Lucius, his cane tapping impatiently on the floor, snapped at his son, who was still standing rooted to the same spot.

To his credit, Draco was no longer complaining about my talons gripping his hand.

I told you they weren't as sharp and pointy as everyone thinks they are.

With a glance at me that said '_you wait till we get home' _ all too plainly, Draco pulled his legs out of the spot that had him rooted, and in a few strides, caught up with the disappearing back of his father.

Malfoy men had a knack for striding, and Draco wasn't going to spoil that little tradition. His arm, however, was a different story. If Lucius' arm was jerky, Draco's was even worse. Of course, Draco was jogging, so it didn't really count.

Finally, several doors down from Borgin & Burkes, we reached the shop Missus Malfoy was at.

She was already waiting for her husband and her son, when we arrived. I hopped from Draco's arm to Lucius' outstretched one, and the characteristic squeezing sensation of side-along apparition signalled the change in my surrondings.

I opened my eyes slowly (I had them squeezed shut – I never liked appariting, even if it was side-along). Behind us, Missus Malfoy and Draco apparited with a pop. Taking in my surroundings, I gasped. 

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A high, manicured yew hedge bordered the driveway on both sides, with a wrought-iron gate set in the middle of it. Everything about it screamed money, galleons and gold. My eyes followed the perfectly straight driveway all the way to the front door.

The place that the Malfoys lived in was, compared to my previous mistress's quaint little cottage, seemed like a palace.

"_Forgive me, Draco, but I'll be just a minute" _I told him.

Spreading my wings, I took to the air, my wingtips brushing the sides of Lucius' face. The landscape around the estate was simply too enticing to resist.

The wind brushing against my face as I flew through the vast expense of the grounds made the flight exquisite. I looked forward to living here, if it meant that I could do this every single day.

A searing pain suddenly shot through my chest, crippling me mid-flight.

It may not sound like much, but try being unable to fly thirty feet from the ground – it wasn't a joke.

I tried my best to turn to head back towards the Malfoys, fighting through the pain. Out of the corner of my eagle eyes, I saw Draco sprawled out on the ground, unconscious, surrounded by his mother crouching.

I should have known it wasn't wise to have gone so far away when the bonding procedures were starting – if I can just reach him, the pain would fade away to the warmth I was anticipating.

Finally, nine wing flaps and twenty excruciating seconds later, I landed next to Draco, laying my head on his torso, and wishing the pain away.

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**A/N:** I promise no eagle will poop on you ever, if you review!(:


	4. A Malis' Random Musings

**A/N:** Random musings from Liza to clear up any confusion(:

Nothing here in this story, save my OC and the plot, is mine. Unless JK Rowling decides to will all the copyrights to me when she dies or something.

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Hi, my name is Elizabeth Arundel, and I was born 30th march, 1592, to Althea and Arcturus Arundel. My parents were killed shortly after Merlin cast his spell to make the entire Malis race barren. Usually Malis are immortal, but my mother died when was pregnant with my sister as she was affected by the spell. My dad committed suicide shortly after from grief. 

I suppose my job would be a full time companion, a part time pet. Currently I am in my eagle form – technically a bald eagle. I am 88 cm tall and have a 2m wingspan (small for female bald eagle standards). In human form, which I have not been in for a long time, I am rather short (1.59m), just a little bit on the plump side (in the past fat was fashionable – I would love to lose the weight though), black hair to the waist (that was fashionable too), and blue eyes. But I cannot change back to my human form 'till my master dies. Previously, I was a black tabby cat, with white socks.

Uhh, my social class depends on the master/mistress I currently live with – in this case it means I'm very, very well off (the malfoys are rich! MWAHAHAHA). By the way, I cannot eat anything other than fish now as an eagle; therefore, I miss my apples and mangos. Ohh, and my stamina is crappy. As a human, I am right-handed; but I don't think eagles like myself favour a wing; we'd drop out of the sky if that was the case.

If you were wondering, I don't talk – eagles have no vocal chords that I'm aware off, but I communicate telepathically with my master/mistress and only with them, which means I don't talk to others, but I understand them. Other than that, I don't understand what other eagles are saying either. And sometimes I still have the urge to scratch behind my ears – it's not my fault, blame my living twenty years as a cat!

My childhood – It was fun while it lasted. Then I was sent to the Elders to learn the ways before going on to find my first master. I never heard from my parents again, save the news that they died when Merlin casted his spell.

My earliest memory was discovering that I had the ability to change. Father was in the garden sowing corn when I suddenly had an overwhelming urge to peck at them and eat them. So I did, and when father looked up again, he was shocked to see in the place of his only daughter was a hen pecking at corn in his seedbed. After much shaking and shouting from him, I finally managed to change back.

I didn't go to school much, the Elders taught me the ways of a Malis – how to be a great companion, how to lend a listening ear, for around three years, cramming as much as possible before sending me off into the world. But now I'm at Hogwarts, that counts too, no?

If you count the house of Elders a school, I had fun in school. There were many like myself (other Malis). I made friends there, the Elders were nice, although strict, but I learnt if I studied hard, they would not have minded if I let myself go once in a while. I used to love racing other Malis to see who could change from each form to another the fastest. My friendships with other Malis were all forged during my stay at the house of Elders. But those Malis I knew either died or disappeared from the surface of earth for I never heard from them again.

While growing up, I wanted to become like one of the Elders – so I could teach other Malis our ways. But that never happened for Merlin cast his spell soon after I left the house of the Elders and there were no more young ones born to us. Furthermore, while I was serving under my previous mistress, I learnt the ways of potion brewing – herbs and their uses.

Anyways, I've gotta go, they're is calling for me, and I don't want to keep him waiting! Bye (for now)!

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**Okay, so let me get this straight. You are a Malis that has been alive for almost 500 years, and whenever you switch masters, your form switches as well?**

Yupps! I lose the ability to switch forms once I find a master/mistress. But in between, I'm free to choose my form. However, we Malis prefer to find a new one quickly once our old one dies because its what we're supposed to do, you see. Or we'd feel uncomfortable, very uncomfortable.

**Tell me more about the Malis. What is their history as a peoples.**

Ohh okay, let me explain it more clearly. The Malis were around on earth since the beginning of time. Our early ancestors took mostly the form of domesticated dogs and horses, for that were the useful and favoured animals by humans at that time. We live to provide companionship and friendship, hence the uncomfortable-ness with having no master/mistress. We also live forever, but if we fall in love with a human, we die out of grief (just like my teacher at the Elder school did), so basically we die out of grief. Of course, weapons can hurt us, so do spells too. But I've hardly seen any of us dying from battle wounds (we don't like to fight, so we don't). Ohh but one thing, if we do fall in love with another Malis, we wont die.

We bond to one master/mistress at a time, until they die. Then we're free to change forms again until we find a new one.

**What was it like living in your village as a child?**

It was like living back in the time when the Salem Witch trials. Fear of persecution was making most adults cautious, especially those in human form (those who were married to another Malis stay in the same form as each other, most of the time they stay as humans). Except that it wasn't the witches being pursued, it was them hunting us. Soon after I was born, Merlin soon found the spell to cast to render every single Malis barren. Hence I bonded very much to the other children in the village as well as in school. I guess you could say we were the last batch of little kids in the Elder house.

However, if we ignore the tense atmosphere then, I guess my parents were great.. I'd like to get to know them more if I could go back in time. But that's impossible. (I would shrug at that sentence, but that's impossible for an eagle)

**When you are an animal, you have human senses?**

Yeah, I do – I can hear people talking, but I can't talk back to them. I see the world through my eagle's eyes now, so it is better than the normal human eyesight. As for hearing, it's about the same as a human's, though I miss the sharp hearing of a cat, my previous form.

**So you could technically write if you wanted too?**

I could if I really, really wanted to. I use my beak to peck out words on a muggle computer. But that's only for muggles, so I don't know what to do with a parchment and a quail. Come to think of it, quails are evil things. How dare they use feathers for writing? Feathers are best left on our bodies!

**Does this ever frustrate you?**

Of course it does, it takes such a long time pecking out all these letters you know. Just that sentence alone took me 3 minutes! Pooh.

**What makes you happy, sad, and angry?**

I guess I live simply for fish, that makes me very, very happy. Yes, I know, I'm a glutton. But seeing my master happy makes me happy too, since it means I'm doing what I do well enough. Yeah, my emotions are tied pretty much to his. But when he's sad, I'd have to cheer him up too, even though I feel horrible. Ahh well...

**What are some negative traits of yours? What sets you off?**

Hmms, I'll just list a few since there are so many... I'm impulsive, rude and irritable – according to the Elders, but I seriously don't think I am, I hope. They say I talk back too much. One of my previous masters said that too. He told me to shut up every five minutes. Awww but I really don't think I'm a chatterbox. I don't like changing back to my human form too, for the last time I checked, I was short and fat. Maybe the fat would have worn off by all the exercise by the time I do get the chance to change back. And I ponder questions for too long before actually answering them

And I absolutely hate it when my master forgets to feed me! I mean, I look like an eagle, but I can't stand raw fish. :( It's so... barbaric

**where do you hope to go after your master sets you free? If that's even the term you use...**

I don't really hope to go anywhere, and besides when that happens, it means he's dead, 'cos we can't go anywhere till the bond is severed, which usually only happens when our master's dead. And we don't really plan that far ahead; we just focus on what we do! (:

**What happens to you between masters? Could you transform back to your human form and practice your Malis magic?**

When our previous master/mistress dies, we loose all bonds tying us to them, and there for the bond that restricts our form-changing is gone too. Therefore, yes, we can transform back to our human forms. But we don't really have Malis magic, but I do know a few simple spells that I've learnt over the years from my previous masters (the power of long-term observation)

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**Uncomfortable as in being in a room full of people you don't know who all seem to be good friends with each other or uncomfortable like having a constant itch on your foot? **

It's like a constant itch on your foot – a tugging on your soul, a feeling that something is not quite right and you can't do anything about it till you find a new master/mistress.

**What are some things that make you uncomfortable even when you're with a master or mistress? **

I don't really like wandering far from them, it feels uncomfortable too (but not as much as the above-mentioned one). Hence, when they go out on errands and can't bring me, when they go for classes or when they bathe; I'll feel uncomfortable too. Of course, those weird people and creepy places that makes _everyone_ uneasy makes me feel the same way too.

**How do you find a master or mistress once your former one dies? Do you go looking for them? Do you just hope that you will someday stumble upon someone who needs a pet? **

It's quite up to me to choose a new one. Sometimes I actively go looking for one if I can't stand the 'tugging'. Other times I just wonder around 'till I find a kind/nice looking person to bond with.(:

**You said that if you fall in love with your master or mistress and they die, you will die too. This special 'bond' sounds a lot like love to me. Do you mean romantic love? Because losing your best friend or anyone very close to you can be kinda devastating too. **

You're right – losing your best friend will be devastating, but we don't really see it that way. Its the way things are. I don't know for the rest of the Malis, but in my lifetime so many have come and gone – nine masters and five mistresses, to be exact. I can't speak for myself, for I've never fallen in love (a romantic one) with a human yet, but I guess the bond that runs between that Malis who did and her master would be even deeper than what already exists. Therefore, I guess when the bonds are severed, the pain of the bonds breaking would be too much to bear and the Mali dies. Of course, breaking the bonds itself, without the love, is still painful, but bearable.

**Have you ever had a master or mistress that you really didn't like? **

Of course, but the period of time I stayed with him was quite bearable, because it was short. Around a month or so. It seemed like no one else liked him either, and he was killed by debtors.

**What do you think is worse, being stuck with someone you hate, or wandering aimlessly around with no one at all?**

This is a rather tough question.. I'd have to say wandering aimlessly around would be worse. Besides the constant uneasiness, there would be absolutely nothing to do! At least, with someone I hate (which I haven't really met many), I could try to get to know them, rather than wasting the time. When you have all of eternity, you'd welcome any form of distraction.

**Do you get impatient with people you don't like?**

Sure I do, I even get impatient with people I like, especially when they're behaving like they own the world! (p.s don't tell the Elders about this – its not what a good Malis does) But, I'm proud to say, generally, I do keep my temper in check, I hope.

**Where do Mali's fit into the class system of magical races? (And if you're wondering, I did just make that up.) For example, are they considered lesser then humans because they serve them? Greater because they live longer? Or are they widely unknown about, ( I mean, they aren't mentioned in the books.) and therefore unconsidered?**

Hehs I'd love to say greater! We're the best in the world does a little dance But that wouldn't be truthful.. Well, honestly I haven't met a single master that heard of our race before I met them. That's quite sad, isn't it? So I suppose that would leave us unconsidered, since no one knows about us. But at least now you'd have heard of us:D

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**A/N**: the story will countinue in the next chapter! I hope this chappie helps to clear up any confusion. Please review! (: 


	5. Chapter 5

Due to real life becoming hectic, would anyone like to adopt this story? I know that I haven't updated in ages, so I think I'm really, really not doing this story justice here :(


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